Hon Khamisu Mailantarki represented Gombe/Kwame/Funakaya federal constituency of Gombe before the courts quashed his election. In this interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, the former lawmaker, who has turned attention to his business, lays bare the issues facing the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) in Gombe and blames the former state governor, Sen Danjuma Goje for the melt-down.
The APC in Gombe State seems to be steeped in crises presently. Really, what are the issues and how did they come about?It really is unfortunate, because we all know the story. Our major problem is that one of our elders, right from when he joined the APC,has given us one headache after another. We did raise the alarm when he joined the party, but no one gave ear.
Since Senator Danjuma Goje joined the APC, we have had issues relating to selfishness, imposition of candidates and impunity, because Goje and his group formed the executive committee when the merger occurred in the state.
There were a lot of issues and the national secretariat had to send some persons to investigate and settle the rift, but Goje went ahead to impose candidates on the people.
The one which I think is the worst of all he has done is sending his thugs to go beat up the acting chairman of the APC in the state, Captain Bala Jibrin and, because of his recklessness, there is a new caretaker committee for the party in the state, chaired by a person who is not a native of Gombe, but was sent by the national secretariat to settle the issues within the party.
Before now, everyone knows that the chairman was doing a good job and he made sure that everyone got a fair playing ground. Goje did not like that arrangement and some of the changes taking place within the party; so, he started harassing the chairman.
It is embarrassing that Goje, a former governor, canot alow peace to reign in the party in the state.
Has the APC in Gombe complained to the National Secretariat about this?
Yes, they are aware; that is why they appointed the caretaker committee. What happened was that we were in a meeting and, while the chairman, Captain Jibril, was reading his speech, some thugs burst in, rushed at the chairman and hit him with a stick. They would have removed his cap, but for the intervention of security details and some members of the committee.
When they were apprehended, the thugs confessed that they were sent by Goje. Goje is taking us back to the days of thugs, when the dreaded Kalari Youths would not let peace breathe. Strangely, that was when he was governor.
The present governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, has succeeded in rehabilitating these youths and now Goje wants to use them to harass and intimidate the chairman of the care-taker committee.
Also, the FG has also tried to rehabilitate the boys through the stipend that was paid them. This has really helped them. It is very unfortunate that Goje is trying to bring back the reign of terror, just so that he can have his way. But, I tell you, in a free-and-fair election, nobody will vote Goje or anybody he tries to impose on the people.
Some member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), led by Sen. Idris Umar, recently crossed over to the APC. Has that defection brightened the fortune of the party in any way?
We have not yet got to that stage to know, but the APC is the party for everyone and we will welcome everyone, but, if their tactics are like that of Goje, we will advise them to be careful and follow the rules, so that we can win elections. There has been no election, since they joined us, so we cannot assess their impact on the party.
In one sentence, what is the problem of the APC in Gombe State presently?
The problem of the APC in Gombe State is Sen Danjuma Goje. He should be called to order and counseled to do away with his love of thuggery, imposition and blackmail, so that we can work together, in accordance with the guidelines of the party. Let us practice the politics of inclusion. He must stop scheming to impose his son-in-law or brother, uncle, relative or friend on the rest of us. Politics is for everyone
Some APC states are having crises of a number of variations. Don’t you think this is affecting the fortunes of the party?
We still have time and the party is not relenting. They will do the right thing to bring the party to the right path. It is normal in politics, because it has the good, bad and ugly. We want Gombe to serve as an example for other APC-administered states.
Gombe is in the grip of the PDP. How does the APC plan to win the forthcoming local government elections?
It is very unfortunate that things were moving well, until the ugly head of thuggery, controlled by Goje, reared its head. People are now laughing at us and saying we are not serious. Some people believe that Goje is doing all this because he wants to dent our chances and sabotage the party’s chances at the LG polls. It is no longer secret that the APC in Gombe State is divided and we have problems. Also, I think that the APC hierarchy must revisit the situation, to settle the problems. Right now, the APC in Gombe is going in the wrong direction. Our problem, though, has been identified and everyone knows that it is Danjuma Goje. I am sad that the PDP in Gombe is laughing at us now.
The state of the nation’s economy has been a source of concern for many Nigerians. Do you share their fears?
We thank God that we have somebody like Muhammadu Buhari as president, because he is the only one that has the capacity to take care of the problems Nigeria have now. Nigerians are complaining, because they don’t want the bitter truth. Change is never sweet. It can cause a little discomfort, which is a sacrifice. If you take your clothes to a tailor, he has to cut it into pieces to get the design you want, but what is happening in the economy has made everybody begin to look inward.
People are now going back to the farms. Nigeria is now looking inwards, instead of depending on imported things. There are a lot of projects going on now, unlike before when people were busy stealing from the government. Also, look at how much money was recently discovered in the home of a former public servant.
The security agencies have assured Nigerians that they have conquered insurgency. Seeing that Gombe State was one of those effected, do you think the people of the state can begin to exhale?
There is serious improvement [in the security situation] in my state. I use this opportunity to thank the president and FG for a job well done. There is sanity now and people move freely in Gombe. People now go to the stadium to watch football, unlike before when they avoided such places out of fear.
There is a silent tussle for the siting of the North-east Development Commission. Where do you think it should be sited?
The right thing to do is to site it in Gombe State, because our state is like the centre of the region, through which you can link up with the rest of the region.
There have been rumours regarding the president health. Are these worrying rumours warranted?
The president is a mortal man and he needs time to rest and check his health. The propaganda about his health will not help our nation. He has the right to take a leave for the mandatory time that the constitution allows him to, but some people are trying to instigate confusion. He has directed the vice president to take charge and we all know that he is equally capable.
Do you think the APC can fulfill the promises it made to Nigerians during the campaign?
The APC talked about security, corruption and job creation and I can tell you that they have fulfilled the security aspect and corruption is being fought to a stand-still. What they are doing now is to create jobs through the various infrastructural developments programmes in every part of the country. Wherever you look, you see people working on roads. Also, the APC government has empowered farmers by focusing on the ‘back to the farms’ campaign. You can see what happened when the Kebbi Rice flooded the markets in December. That shows that we are beginning to produce and not consume alone.